Saturday, January 8, 2011

Rite-Aid, 1/2-1/8





































We have a new tradition of going out for coffee and pastries on Saturday morning as a family.  As we were driving to midtown I pulled out my phone and began searching on yelp for a new coffeehouse.  I found one called the Naked Lounge.  It had 4 stars and looked promising especially because the reviewers highlighted the excellent baristas and their perfectly frothed cappuccinos.  Expertly crafted cappuccino foam is hard to come by so I was pretty excited about this place.

Can I just say that my first mistake was choosing a place that had the name "naked" in it? 

I knew I was in trouble when I walked in and there were no children to be seen anywhere and all of the patrons looked up in surprise that a family was walking into the establishment.  This reaction did not daunt me.  I have become accustomed to people looking at us everywhere we go because my children are adopted.  I figured they were just interested in us as a family because our children don't look like us.  Well, I was wrong.  As soon as we ordered our food and sat down I noticed some modern paintings in front of me.  Let's just say that they were indiscreet.  I immediately began to plot a place for Jason to sit where he could not see these paintings (hoping he wouldn't even notice them because his back would be to them).  As he sat down, I glanced over my shoulder to see what was behind me and to my dismay I noticed another indiscreet painting.  Then I darted my eyes around the entire coffeeshop and noticed that every painting was of the same nature.  Oh man.  What kind of person wants to eat and drink in a coffeeshop with this kind of "art?"  I didn't want to find out.  We downed our muffins and coffee and fled. 

Sometimes I hate California.   

Jason then decided that he wanted to go to the McClatchy library in midtown to read books to the children; the library is a quaint little house and I fell in love with it immediately.  He knew that I would love it.  It doesn't get any better than a library inside of a wonderful old house.  We had fun browsing through the books and left with a big bag full of videos, children's books and travel books. 

Sometimes I love California.















On the way home we spotted a Rite-Aid and I asked Jason if we could stop while I did a little shop.  He wanted to roam the neighborhoods looking for public domain fruit so he told me to go ahead and do my shop and call him after I was done.  I did a quick 20 minute shop and then we headed back home to read and hibernate on this wintry day.

Time to light the fireplace...

5 ACT Rinses $3.99 ea. ($1/1 from 1/2 SS)
= $1.99 ea. after $1 UP Reward
2 Planters Peanuts $1.99 ea. ($1/1 printable)
= $.99 ea.
2 Raisin Bran $2.50 ea. ($.70/1 printable )
= $1.30 ea. after $1 UP Reward wyb 2
1 Sonicare replacement brush heads $26.24 ($5/1 from 11/21 SS, 12/12 SS or printable )
= $21.24 ea.
2 Ester C (B1G1) $6.49 ea. (use $2/1 printable and $1/1 Rite-Aid vv printable )
= FREE + $1.51 overage after $2 UP Reward wyb2

L'Oreal Deal - purchase these items together
2 L'Oreal Revitalift face cloths (use $2/1 from 1/2 RP)
2 L'Oreal Eye Shadow (use $5/2 from 1/2 RP and $1/1 Rite-Aid vv printable from last month)
= $2.05 total after $5 UP Reward wyb $15 of L'Oreal product

TOTAL: $123.06
TOTAL AFTER COUPONS: $0
SAVINGS: 100%

NOTE: I had some money left on my Rite-Aid gift card from a return from last week so no out of pocket this week.  I have wiped out most of my UP Rewards and only have about $7 in UP Rewards left.

8 comments:

  1. Love hearing about an average day. I wonder what other people do on the weekends sometimes. Before kids, we were regulars at coffee houses. We still have a LOVE of coffee, and skip the baristas. I cracked up at the naked coffee house though- soooo California! (Can I comment on the great state if my dad grew up there and I have been a frequent visitor) :)

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  2. Dixie, the Saturday morning coffee and pastry break was instituted by me because I missed going out for coffee with my husband. We both used to be baristas at Starbucks during their romantic period (long before they had a gazillion stores) and we enjoy good coffee.

    I grew up in Southern California so I have pretty much seen it all (including transvestite art in a bathroom) but it is dismaying when you are with your husband and children to look up and expect to see beautiful paintings and you see naked paintings instead. So weird.

    Anyway, I didn't know that you had family here. What part of CA does your dad live in? I lived here most of my life and was in Nashville for 8 years before we moved back.

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  3. Dixie, I also wanted to note that CA hasn't cornered the market on weirdness. We used to eat at this tiny restaurant called Elena's in Brentwood. It was an Eastern European restaurant I think. We had the same experience eating there that we had in this coffeeshop. We stopped eating there after that. I kept thinking, "what was this business owner thinking?" Oh yeah. I forgot...."he wasn't thinking, he was just expressing himself." Oh brother.

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  4. HAHA- what makes the world go round, I guess.

    My dad grew up in Santa Barbara and went to Cal Poly. He lives in the South now. My aunt and uncle live in Vacaville. They are ex-military. I lived out west until 3rd grade. Born in Las Vegas, but mostly lived in AZ. I love the West Coast and hope to make it back to visit again soon!

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  5. Love those pictures!!! Your girls are so cute. Thanks for sharing about your excursion to the coffee house - I had heard very good reviews about it & wanted to stop in, but now I know better & will pass.Also,I appreciated you sharing your thoughts about that place - it helps to keep us more accountable. Glad to see the post & will be hitting Rite Aid this week. Love you all.

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  6. Irmie, Thanks for your post. Just an FYI...don't forget that this post was for the deals at Rite-Aid last week. I'm hoping to go and do my shop this week around Thursday or so. Nice chatting with you today. Love, Kelly

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  7. Kelly, the people staring at you in the coffee shop were probably just thinking how great it was that you were giving your children great opportunities in "culture." :)

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  8. Melea, unfortunately you are probably right. LOL.

    Was thinking about you yesterday. I was missing your sweet smile and your great hugs.

    On a side note....I think about you almost every morning when I look at my big toe (and the bruise that is still there from stubbing it on your suitcase). I should send you a picture sometime; it's pretty hilarious to look at. It doesn't hurt at all but it looks like it should.

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